A central consideration in operation of computer and communication devices, and in particular portable devices, is providing an optimal ergonomic experience to a user. For example, ergonomic considerations associated with computing, communication, and entertainment systems include the touch-temperatures and audible system noise levels during system use. Especially in portable systems, an uncomfortable touch-temperature (for example, the temperature of a chassis, skin, touch-screen, or track-point) or exhaust air temperature, or an annoying system noise level may distract from the user experience, even for the sleekest systems. Given the highly integrated nature of many portable system designs, often the vectors of performance, noise, and comfort can be divergent, and each may constrain the other.
For example, in order to achieve highest performance, such systems may be designed to operate in the range of the maximum allowable power limit. Normal operation of such systems may entail running processors, controllers and other heat-generating devices under high active power conditions in which tens of watts or hundreds of watts may be generated by a single device or combination of devices, leading to excessive heating and/or audible noise associated with cooling devices. Some attempts have been made to manage power to optimize battery life in portable systems, including use of a so-called Low Frequency Mode (LFM), in which processors may be operated at a lower frequency than a maximum frequency afforded by the processor. However, the power consumed during LFM operation has scaled upward significantly in recent generations, leading to increased thermal output of device platforms, even those operating under LFM power. It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present improvements have been needed.